Dharius Daniels - Why Aren't My Prayers Being Answered?

We spent last week discussing this, and we’re diving back in this week with communication. If I want to have that intimate, vibrant, passionate relationship with God, then closeness requires communication. The Bible refers to communication as prayer. Here’s the thing: this is probably one of the most important aspects of our spiritual life; it’s a formula for fire—a fire starter. Remember, I can’t focus on catching fire; I have to focus on doing the things that ignite my fire. Our focus shouldn’t solely be on being on fire; it has to be on doing the things that set us ablaze. Fire has a formula, and prayers are fire starters. However, we must address the discipline of prayer, which should overcome demotivators. There are things that demotivate us from praying. We spent an entire lesson last week discussing why it’s so hard to pray, and I think it’s essential to identify the demotivators to prayer. Once we recognize them, we can overcome them and execute with consistency. Executing anything with consistency requires us to acknowledge and remove the obstacles hindering our execution. I want to emphasize that sometimes the answer to any change isn’t simply more willpower; it’s more skill. It’s not just about having more strength; it’s about having a strategy. For example, if someone aspires to improve their health, they may think, «I need to be more disciplined with my eating; I need more strength to resist the cookies in the cabinet.» No! You need to take the cookies out. It’s not about strength; it’s about strategy. That’s why even when faced with certain temptations, God advises us not to fight but to flee. When confronted with relational tension, He suggests we avoid it. He says not to strive or get caught up in strife—just evade it. Any transformation requires us to recognize and eliminate obstacles. When we remove these obstacles, we can execute with consistency. I firmly believe that many of us are falling prey to an untruth that the enemy has implanted in our minds—that we are forever imprisoned by inconsistency. I believe this is a prophetic moment for many of you watching who struggle with this. It’s not just inconsistency; it’s the lie you’ve accepted as truth: that you are destined to be imprisoned by inconsistency. The reason you’ve accepted this as truth is that you’ve allowed your past behavior to hold more authority in influencing your mind than God’s word. Historically, because you’ve always been inconsistent, you believe that’s the way you will always be. I’m here to tell you today—whenever you’re watching this—that who you have been does not determine who you can become. Your history does not have the final say over your destiny. Throughout scripture, we see God radically transforming people into individuals who often become the exact opposite of who they were before they met Him. We have seen temperamental, impulsive, inconsistent, and unreliable people like Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples, become steady, dependable, and reliable—a rock. The same man who denied Jesus in front of a few people is the one who boldly preaches Jesus on the day of Pentecost, leading thousands to faith. I believe this is important for our family. I know I’m deviating a bit, but I want you to grasp this concept. I want to share some important insights with you tonight, but remember: you must discern the demotivators concerning prayer. Remember, this teaching is more about application than revelation, although it contains coaching elements as I lean into practical application. Notice I haven’t given you Greek words for prayer or defined the different types of prayer: prayers of thanksgiving, prayers of supplication, prayers of intercession, and prayers of authority. What does that mean, Pastor Darius? In prayers of supplication, I talk to God about my problems, while in prayers of authority, I talk to my problems about God. I use the authority of the name God has given me, which is Jesus’ name. He gives me that name as a badge, and He supports it like a police badge. I can walk in the middle of the street and say, «Hey! You go here, you go there.» People might honk their horns, shout unkind words, or even hit me, but if someone walks out there with a badge and does the same thing, it’s completely different. Why? Because the badge carries authority. They know the badge is backed. The name of Jesus is your badge; God backs the badge. But I’m not focusing on that right now, am I? This is more about application than revelation. I’m giving you keys, family. We have to recognize and eliminate the demotivators if we’re going to step into the fire starter of prayer consistently. If prayer is going to be, watch this, a tool for building…